A turbulent MHD model for molecular clouds and a new method of accretion on to star-forming cores

We describe the results of a sequence of simulations of gravitational collapse in a turbulent magnetized region. The parameters are chosen to be representative of molecular cloud material. We find that several protostellar cores and filamentary structures of higher than average density form. The filaments inter connect the high-density cores. Furthermore, the magnetic field strengths are found to correlate positively with the density, in agreement with recent observations. We make synthetic channel maps of the simulations, and show that material accreting on to the cores is channelled along the magnetized filamentary structures. This is compared with recent observations of S106, and shown to be consistent with these data. We postulate that this mechanism of accretion along filaments may provide a means for molecular cloud cores to grow to the point where they become gravitationally unstable and collapse to form stars.     

A new segmentation algorithm for lunar surface terrain based on CCD images

Terrain classification is one of the critical steps used in lunar geomorphologic analysis and landing site selection. Most of the published works have focused on a Digital Elevation Model(DEM) to distinguish different regions of lunar terrain.This paper presents an algorithm that can be applied to lunar CCD images by blocking and clustering according to image features, which can accurately distinguish between lunar highland and lunar mare. The new algorithm, compared with the traditional algorithm, can improve classification accuracy. The new algorithm incorporates two new features and one Tamura texture feature. The new features are generating an enhanced image histogram and modeling the properties of light reflection, which can represent the geological characteristics based on CCD gray level images. These features are applied to identify texture in order to perform image clustering and segmentation by a weighted Euclidean distance to distinguish between lunar mare and lunar highlands.The new algorithm has been tested on Chang'e-1 CCD data and the testing result has been compared with geological data published by the U.S. Geological Survey. The result has shown that the algorithm can effectively distinguish the lunar mare from highlands in CCD images. The overall accuracy of the proposed algorithm is satisfactory, and the Kappa coefficient is 0.802, which is higher than the result of combining the DEM with CCD images.     

Interference coupling analysis based on a hybrid method: application to a radio telescope system

Working in a way that passively receives electromagnetic radiation from a celestial body,a radio telescope can be easily disturbed by external radio frequency interference as well as electromagnetic interference generated by electric and electronic components operating at the telescope site.A quantitative analysis of these interferences must be taken into account carefully for further electromagnetic protection of the radio telescope. In this paper, based on electromagnetic topology theory, a hybrid method that combines the Baum-Liu-Tesche(BLT) equation and transfer function is proposed.In this method, the coupling path of the radio telescope is divided into strong coupling and weak coupling sub-paths, and the coupling intensity criterion is proposed by analyzing the conditions in which the BLT equation simplifies to a transfer function. According to the coupling intensity criterion, the topological model of a typical radio telescope system is established. The proposed method is used to solve the interference response of the radio telescope system by analyzing subsystems with different coupling modes separately and then integrating the responses of the subsystems as the response of the entire system. The validity of the proposed method is verified numerically. The results indicate that the proposed method, compared with the direct solving method, reduces the difficulty and improves the efficiency of interference prediction.     

HIKER: a halo-finding method based on kernel-shift algorithm

We introduce a new halo/subhalo finder, HIKER(a Halo fInder based on KERnel-shift algorithm), which takes advantage of a machine learning method – the mean-shift algorithm combined with the Plummer kernel function, to effectively locate density peaks corresponding to halos/subhalos in density field. Based on these density peaks, dark matter halos are identified as spherical overdensity structures, and subhalos are bound substructures with boundaries at their tidal radius. By testing HIKER code with mock halos, we show that HIKER performs excellently in recovering input halo properties. In particular, HIKER has higher accuracy in locating halo/subhalo centres than most halo finders. With cosmological simulations,we further show that HIKER reproduces the abundance of dark matter halos and subhalos quite accurately,and the HIKER halo/subhalo mass functions and Vmax functions are in good agreement with two widely used halo finders, SUBFIND and AHF.     

MOSAIX: a tool to built large mosaics from GALEX images

Large sky surveys are providing a huge amount of information for studies of the interstellar medium, the galactic structure or the cosmic web. Setting into a common frame information coming from different wavelengths, over large fields of view, is needed for this kind of research. GALEX is the only nearly all-sky survey at ultraviolet wavelengths and contains fundamental information for all types of studies. GALEX field of view is circular embedded in a squared matrix of 3840×3840 pixels. This fact makes it hard to get GALEX images properly overlapped with the existing astronomical tools such as Aladin or Montage. We developed our own software for this purpose. In this article, we describe this software and makes it available to the community.     

Smear fitting: a new image-deconvolution method for interferometric data

A new technique is presented for producing images from interferometric data. The method, 'smear fitting', makes the constraints necessary for interferometric imaging double as a model, with uncertainties, of the sky brightness distribution. It does this by modelling the sky with a set of functions and then convolving each component with its own elliptical Gaussian to account for the uncertainty in its shape and location that arises from noise. This yields much sharper resolution than clean for significantly detected features, without sacrificing any sensitivity. Using appropriate functional forms for the components provides both a scientifically interesting model and imaging constraints that tend to be better than those used by traditional deconvolution methods. This allows it to avoid the most serious problems that limit the imaging quality of those methods. Comparisons of smear fitting to clean and maximum entropy are given, using both real and simulated observations. It is also shown that the famous Rayleigh criterion (resolution = wavelength/baseline) is inappropriate for interferometers as it does not consider the reliability of the measurements.     

A new method to calculate the resonant response of a sunspot model atmosphere to magneto-atmospheric waves

In order to understand the observed oscillations in sunspots we present a new method for calculating the resonant response of a realistic semi-empirical model of the sunspot umbral atmosphere and subphotosphere to magneto-atmospheric waves in a vertical magnetic field. The depth dependence of both the adiabatic coefficient and the turbulent pressure is taken into account. This requires an extension of the wave equations by Ferraro & Plumpton (1958). We compare the coefficients of wave transmission, re flection, and conversion between fast mode and slow mode waves for different assumptions, compare the results with those from earlier modelling efforts, and point out possible sources of mistakes. The depth dependence of the adiabatic coefficient strongly influences the resulting spectrum of resonance frequencies. The condition of a conservation of wave flux is violated if the depth dependence of the turbulent pressure is not properly considered.     

On a new method of qualitative investigation of a gravitating system motion stable according to Lagrange

We formulate the basic problems of investigation and ask some questions concerning dynamic systems, the criteria of stability according to Poisson and the periodicity of formal motion and reveal some new properties. The comparative method of a recurrence over time of differential functional space elements is described which helps us to compare the motion with its characteristics, according to their recurrence over time. Some facts on the theory of measurement are presented and a unification of the Poincaré-Caratheodory classic theory of point recurrence is given. General problems are solved and, in conclusion, we give the results.     

A new lunar absolute control point: established by images from the landing camera on Chang'e-3

The establishment of a lunar control network is one of the core tasks in selenodesy, in which defining an absolute control point on the Moon is the most important step. However, up to now, the number of absolute control points has been very sparse. These absolute control points have mainly been lunar laser ranging retroreflectors, whose geographical location can be observed by observations on Earth and also identified in high resolution lunar satellite images. The Chang'e-3(CE-3) probe successfully landed on the Moon, and its geographical location has been monitored by an observing station on Earth. Since its positional accuracy is expected to reach the meter level, the CE-3 landing site can become a new high precision absolute control point. We use a sequence of images taken from the landing camera, as well as satellite images taken by CE-1 and CE-2, to identify the location of the CE-3 lander. With its geographical location known, the CE-3 landing site can be established as a new absolute control point, which will effectively expand the current area of the lunar absolute control network by 22%, and can greatly facilitate future research in the field of lunar surveying and mapping, as well as selenodesy.     

Weather at Sierra Negra: 7.3-yr statistics and a new method to estimate the temporal fraction of cloud cover

Sierra Negra, one of the highest peaks in central Mexico, is the site of the Large Millimeter Telescope. We describe the first results of a comprehensive analysis of the weather data measured in situ from 2000 October to 2008 February to be used as a reference for future activity in the site. We compare the data from two different stations at the summit considering the accuracy of both instruments. We analysed the diurnal, seasonal and annual cycles for all the parameters. The thermal stability is remarkably good, crucial for a good performance of the telescopes. From the solar radiation data, we developed a new method to estimate the fraction of time when the sky is clear of clouds. We show that our measurements are consistent with a warm standard atmosphere model. The conditions at the site are benign and stable given its altitude, showing that Sierra Negra is an extremely good site for millimeter and high-energy observations.     

Application of a new semi-analytical method to periodic motion due to the J_(22) tesseral harmonic

We revisit the issue of constructing the first-order periodic solution that incorporates the J22 tesseral harmonic and developing a new semi-analytical solution that may apply to any orbital eccentricity in [0,1). In our work, the solution is expressed in a finite compact form composed of several definite integrals with varying integration intervals constrained in [0,π], in which the traditional Hansen coefficients are no longer involved. Numerical experiments are also given and compared with the traditional series expansion method, and the results show that the derived solution is capable of dealing with highly eccentric orbits. Therefore, the solution given can provide a new technique to analyze the perturbation characteristics arising from the J22 harmonic.     

Coordinated EDX and micro‐Raman analysis of presolar silicon carbide: A novel,nondestructive method to identify rare subgroup SiC

We report the development of a novel method to nondestructively identify presolar silicon carbide (SiC) grains with high initial ²⁶Al/²⁷Al ratios (>0.01) and extreme ¹³C‐enrichments (¹²C/¹³C ≤ 10) by backscattered electron‐energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX) and micro‐Raman analyses. Our survey of a large number of presolar SiC demonstrates that (1) ~80% of core‐collapse supernova and putative nova SiC can be identified by quantitative EDX and Raman analyses with >70% confidence; (2) ~90% of presolar SiC are predominantly 3C‐SiC, as indicated by their Raman transverse optical (TO) peak position and width; (3) presolar 3C‐SiC with ¹²C/¹³C ≤ 10 show lower Raman TO phonon frequencies compared to mainstream 3C‐SiC. The downward shifted phonon frequencies of the ¹³C‐enriched SiC with concomitant peak broadening are a natural consequence of isotope substitution. ¹³C‐enriched SiC can therefore be identified by micro‐Raman analysis; (4) larger shifts in the Raman TO peak position and width indicate deviations from the ideal 3C structure, including rare polytypes. Coordinated transmission electron microscopy analysis of one X and one mainstream SiC grain found them to be of 6H and 15R polytypes, respectively; (5) our correlated Raman and NanoSIMS study of mainstream SiC shows that high nitrogen content is a dominant factor in causing mainstream SiC Raman peak broadening without significant peak shifts; and (6) we found that the SiC condensation conditions in different stellar sites are astonishingly similar, except for X grains, which often condensed more rapidly and at higher atmospheric densities and temperatures, resulting in a higher fraction of grains with much downward shifted and broadened Raman TO peaks.     

In search of a new ULF wave index: Comparison of Pc5 power with dynamics of geostationary relativistic electrons

A new ULF wave index, characterizing the turbulent level of the geomagnetic field, has been calculated and applied to the analysis of relativistic electron enhancements during space weather events in March–May 1994 and September 1999. This global wave index has been produced from the INTERMAGNET, MACCS, CPMN, and Greenland dense magnetometer arrays in the northern hemisphere. A similar ULF wave index has been calculated using magnetometer data from geostationary (GOES) and interplanetary (Wind, ACE) satellites. During the periods analyzed several magnetic storms occurred, and several significant increases of relativistic electron flux up to 2–3 orders of magnitude were detected by geostationary monitors. However, these electron enhancements were not directly related to the intensity of magnetic storms. Instead, they correlated well with intervals of elevated ULF wave index, caused by the occurrence of intense Pc5 pulsations in the magnetosphere. This comparison confirmed earlier results showing the importance of magnetospheric ULF turbulence in energizing relativistic electrons. In addition to relativistic electron energization, a wide range of space physics and geophysics studies will benefit from the introduction of the ULF wave index. The ULF index database is freely available via anonymous FTP for all interested researchers for further validation and statistical studies.     

Cross-entropy optimizer: a new tool to study precession in astrophysical jets

Evidence of jet precession in many galactic and extragalactic sources has been reported in the literature. Much of this evidence is based on studies of the kinematics of the jet knots, which depends on the correct identification of the components to determine their respective proper motions and position angles on the plane of the sky. Identification problems related to fitting procedures, as well as observations poorly sampled in time, may influence the follow-up of the components in time, which consequently might contribute to a misinterpretation of the data. In order to deal with these limitations, we introduce a very powerful statistical tool to analyse jet precession: the cross-entropy method for continuous multi-extremal optimization. Only based on the raw data of the jet components (right ascension and declination offsets from the core), the cross-entropy method searches for the precession model parameters that better represent the data. In this work we present a large number of tests to validate this technique, using synthetic precessing jets built from a given set of precession parameters. With the aim of recovering these parameters, we applied the cross-entropy method to our precession model, varying exhaustively the quantities associated with the method. Our results have shown that even in the most challenging tests, the cross-entropy method was able to find the correct parameters within a 1 per cent level. Even for a non-precessing jet, our optimization method could point out successfully the lack of precession.     

A navigation method for an automated interplanetary probe on a quasi-satellite orbit in a three-body problem based on optical measurements

The problem of how to determine parameters of motion for an automated interplanetary probe (AIP) on a quasi-satellite orbit during flight to the small natural satellite of a planet is examined. The problem is solved by searching for an optimal state-space trajectory of automated interplanetary probe according to the least-squares criterion. The results of longitude and latitude measurements at several points are used as boundary conditions.